Hi Clare,
If you want to see this in action, drop down here to Bunting Road, and
we'll show you some of the hoops we go through with files from Quark and
PageMaker. In short, there is no easy way. You either have to go
through a laborious Cut & Paste exercise, or as we do with Quark, pass
it to an outside print house over on Kings Heath.
As regards .pdf files, it's actually Acrobat Reader Version 4, which
has/had an accessibility plug in to allow you to "Save As" Text or HTML.
However, I have to say that the process can be very hit and miss, and
more often than not, drives our Braille unit to distraction having to
tidy it all up.
Having said that, bear in mind that pdf files are created from an
application such as Word for Windows, Word Perfect or even your
favourite desk top publisher. It's not always possible, but quite
often, once we have explained this to people, they have miraculously
found who created the document, and given it to us in the original
format pre-PDF.
Acrobat 5 is supposed to have an "Accessibility Bridge" which will
enable screen readers better access, but so far, only one screen reader
company has released anything seriously workable. Moreover, they have
taken OUT the Text and HTML capability. It seems that it was being
abused by professional printers and such like, who used it to obtain an
editable version of the document.
George W F Bell
Techno-Vision Systems Ltd
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clare Davies [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 27 July 2001 13:48
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: converting text from DTP
>
>
> Can anyone advise how to convert from desk-top publisher
> format to Word or other electronic format that can be read
> using a screen reader. We would prefer to avoid having to
> scan and proof-read the various internal publications that
> are given to new students during induction week.
>
> I understand that Acrobat 5 can convert from pdf to rtf.
> Does anyone have experience of this, and would rtf be
> suitable for reading via a screen reader?
>
> Also, how can information from tables be presented to
> facilitate access in other formats? (eg our Fresher Guide
> has sample weekly income and expenditure charts to assist
> students with budgeting).
>
> Thanks,
> Clare
>
> Clare Davies
> Senior Student Guidance Officer
> University College Northampton
>
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